The Man With Red Eyes
by Snodgrass and Winkle
Summary: AU While he possess the One Ring, nothing and no one can stop Sauron. When he brings back Morgan, a young man from presentday, however, he ends up with more than he bargained for. Features GilGalad and Celebrimbor...later. Oh yeah and Elros and Elrond. No
1. A Bad Beginning

I wanted to write a story based on what Sauron might have done with his power when he had the ring. This is AU, but I hope not a Sue. I own none of the ME characters and only the Van Pels family belong to me. Please let me know if I should carry on.

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**Chapter One**

**The Man With Red Eyes**

"I am Amelia Van Pels, and I require a large radish immediately!" Anne announced as she hurtled through the door. Marjorie Van Pels, Anne's mother, absorbed in the computer didn't even look up , merely saying, "Don't shout dear."

Anne flung her key chain covered backpack into a noisy heap before raiding the refrigerator for the afore mentioned food. Pete Van Pels, Anne's father was working late and that meant dinner would be something quick and easy like mac'n'cheese or pancakes.

Anne patted her mother's head as she went by, she was deep in the auction of yet another Tiffany lamp. Boring stuff.

Anne had important things to do, she had found a decent LOTR web site and it was full of information. She intended on spending the weekend exploring it thoroughly. Anne's older brother Morgan had a computer in his room. He had earned the money through summer jobs and he lovedhis computerlike a child.

However, he did let Anne use it when he wasn't home, only if she promised not to download anything to the hard drive. But he wouldn't be home for an hour yet and Anne had the computer to herself.

With a blast of Howard Shore's soundtrack the Web Page popped up on the screen. The site had everything from Fan Fiction, humor, elvish, script and even a mystery section entitled "Morgoth's Lair." This proved to be a section devoted to the bad guys of Middle earth.

Anne went to the quiz list and scrolled down until the title, "What First Age Elf Are You?" quipped her interest. She had just gotten to a question asking whether she liked the Beetles, Bee Gees or Enya better, when a warning message appeared. But this wasn't anordinary warning message.

It read in a neat script, **"Hello, Anne."**

She typed in , "Uh…Hi!" She assumed that she had hit on a Easter Egg in the web site.

"**Do you like Middle Earth?" **was the next question.

"Totally." she replied.

"**Would you like to visit?" **it asked next.

"Who wouldn't?" she answered happily. " How do I get there?"

"**Do you want to know?"**

"Yes!" she typed, and waited for the screen to change. Nothing happened. She tried asking it again and still nothing, the screen had frozen.

"Crap." she said and reached over to reboot the computer. She seriously hoped that she hadn't downloaded a virus or anything. Just as she hit theOn button, an icy hand closed over her arm.

Looking up Anne found a man smiling down at her, but there was something about the _way_ he smiled that chilled her to the bone. He wasdressed in a black uniform type suit with bright brass buttons of either side of his chest. He was deadly pale with glistening black hair.

"Who are you?" Anne squeaked.

"Why, your escort of course. Didn't you say that you wanted to go to Middle Earth?" he asked in clipped tones. For the first time Anne noticed his eyes as they burned into hers,

They were red.

"What's wrong Anne?" he purred, "Changed your mind?"

"Uh…yeah, please let me go." Anne shuddered as the room had suddenly gone cold. "I'm going to call my Mom and she'll…"

"Do what?" he challenged, the gold ring on his first finger bit into Anne's arm as she struggled to get away.

"You're hurting me!" She whimpered.

"I'll do far worse then that if you say another word." he threatened. He jerked her out of the chair and wrapped his icy arms around her shoulders. "We have a long journey waiting for us Anne. You're going on the ride of your life!"

He raised his hand high and Anne flinched thinking he was going to strike her. But instead he pointed toward the ceiling, yet just as he began to speak the door of the bedroom burst open. Morgan came in saying, "Anne, I need the …what the?"

"Morgan!" Anne screamed. The man cursed heavily at the sight of the young man. Morgan didn't waste a second, but dove for Anne and yanked her away.

Anne hit the wall as Morgan grappled with the man. Even as they fought the man laughed horribly. Anne heard her mother calling "What's going on up there?"

"Mom call the police!" Anne screamed.

Suddenly, and without a touch from the man Morgan slumped into the black clothed man's arms. The man flashed a crimson glance at the girl and said, "You're missing out Anne, but your brother will do just as well, perhaps even better!"

He laughed again and disappeared taking Morgan with him.

"Morgan!" Anne screamed. Marjorie Van Pels came into the room just in time to see her sondisappear and she screamed.

"What? Oh my God! she cried, "Anne what just happened?"

Anne rocked back and forth on the floor her arms wrapped around her knees, she was sobbing wildly. "I don't know Mom, I don't know!"


	2. The Game Plan I Win

**Luthien and Tari Oronar**On popular demand we have up dated sooner then we normally would have. I wish you would up date your Boromir story too.

**Annamariah**Thanks for the review mon ami. Of course our style is prefect darling! That's what makes us so wonderful!

**Winkle : **But not humble, that least not where Snodgrass is concerned.

**Elvin Blue-Eyed**You like spooky? Good because this story will be filed with spooky! Thanks for the review!

**AraelMoonchild** Well, we can always take a hint and two hints are even better! There we has up dated like good authors should! Thanks for the review!

**Laer4572**You are a reviewer of few words! Thanks for the review!

**Erasuithiel : **Sauron yes! You guessed it! I love the red eyes detail! And I am myself, quite sick of the sucked into ME in a car accident or drowning accident. Blah! And as to whether or not we got the names form Dickens…let's just say we know the dear man very well. Thanks for reviewing!

**Eruanna92 : **We got your review just before we started to up date! You made it just in time! Thanks again!

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**Chapter Two**

**The Game Plan…I Win**

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It was a lazy day and the sun filtered through the trees casting green shadows on the wide wheat field. Butterflies floated happily by and the birds twittered on in their mildly annoying way.

The peaceful scene was shattered by a groan and the appearance of a young man with an ugly bruise on his forehead. Morgan Van Pels was a normal twenty year old in the way of looks. He was of middling height and weight, not too much of anything. is hair was a rusty brown and his eyes a dull and boring grey.

Rolling upright he surveyed his surroundings. At first he thought he was alone, but sitting on a rock a few feet away, a man looked back at him. Morgan shot to his feet, swaying as blood rushed to his head.

"Who are you and where am I?" he demanded "and what have you done to Anne?"

The man raised a delicate hand, and made a clucking sound in the back of his throat,

"My, my, my, how rude we can be when we try. I think we should make introductions first." The man cleared his throat and placing a pale hand over his heart, bowed a little, saying

"I am Sauron, the Dark lord of Middle Earth."

Morgan snorted disdainfully

"Oh, and I'm the Easter bunny."

Sauron frowned, and sudden pain surged through Morgan's brain. It felt as though someone were sorting through his thoughts, filing away apparently random memories. Morgan didn't even have a chance to resist.

When his thoughts became his own again, he had crumpled to his knees, vomiting violently. Sauron examined his nails and chuckled deep in his throat.

"Very amusing…your Easter bunny. Now, tell me Morgan, what do you think of middle Earth? Needs a little more black I think, but I'll deal with that later. Come, speak up boy."

Morgan shuddered and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Who are you and why are you doing this?"

Sighing heavily, Sauron hauled Morgan to his feet and dusted off his coat, "I already told you. I am Sauron, Lord of Middle Earth. I am doing this _because I want too_."

Morgan looked at Sauron in the face and noticed something, "Why are your eyes red?"

"It was a long night." Sauron yawned.

"You sleep? I thought you were a giant lidless eye." Morgan said. Sauron wrinkled his nose and feigned offence.

"I don't sleep for one thing, at least not as you would understand it. And I can't imagine anything so hideous as a giant lidless eye." Sauron smirked and said, "Of course, then I would always have an 'eye' on things!"

Sauron laughed hysterically at his own joke and Morgan, disgusted, turned around and began to walk away. It took two full minutes for this to register with Sauron. Suddenly Morgan found himself face to face with the dark lord.

"I didn't say you could go." Sauron irately, "You're here for a reason you know."

Morgan, more then a little disgruntled by Sauron's appearance pushed past him saying, "I'm not playing your little games Sauron. Leave me alone."

Sauron didn't turn around but said, "You are going to 'play' my games whether you want to or not." Sauron tapped the golden ring on his finger and said, "If you don't want something to happen to your 'little' family."

Morgan paused, "What do you mean?" He turned to the dark lord. Sauron didn't look up but continued admiring his ring as the sun flashed off of it.

"Oh, come now, Morgan. When dealing with an evil, nefarious dark lord, you can expect nothing short of torture and death." he said dryly.

The young man gauged the distance between himself and Sauron's unguarded back. Slowly hefting an large rock into his hand he asked

"What do I have to do?"

"Oh, nothing much, just completing certain…tasks while I sit back and watch."

Morgan hurled the rock directly at Sauron's dark head. A few inches before contact, it stopped, and hovered in the air. The Maia turned slowly around, pitying contempt written all over his white face.

"A rock? Really, Morgan, I would have expected something at least slightly more inventive then-" the stone dropped to the ground "This… the Human mind is _so_ primitive, or I should say, babyish."

"Oh, thanks, I feel so special." Morgan shot back.

"I don't _care_." Sauron sighed heavily, as if he had been trying to explain something tom a very obstinate mule "However, you'll find I don't care about anything concerning human welfare.

A cold silence fell between them. Useless adrenaline raced through Morgan's veins as he tried to calculate this maniac's next move. If had been anyone else, a flying tackle would have been appropriate, but something in his opponent's flat red eyes warned him off. They blinked suddenly, and Sauron straightened up, adjusting his crisp jacket with a business like gesture.

"My first rule." he said, voice suddenly deathly quiet "Is to, as you would put it, mess with your mind. Everything you think you know is now useless."

Then suddenly the afternoon darkened, the beautiful landscape fading to blurry blacks and greys. All light seemed to draw into itself, to shrivel and die.

"Dear God!"

Half prayer, half ejaculation, Morgan's words seemed to do something. In an explosion of blinding color and the lyrical singing of birds, the world resumed it's normal course. Light had returned, as if it had never gone, the sun beamed down benevolently on the frantic young man.

But Sauron was gone.

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"I'm Lieutenant Brian Morrison, ma'am. I'd just like to ask you couple questions."

The officer said and flipped open his wallet to display an ugly ID picture. The blurry photograph barely resembled the sharp-featured, brown eyed officer who had been called in to investigate the mysterious kidnapping of Morgan Van Pels.

"Come right inside" Phyllis Van Pels gave a weak laugh "Police officers have been crawling all over the house since…" she trailed off awkwardly.

"Not a problem, ma'am, standard form." he said "This is Officer Lumley-" he nodded to a very tall man who stood by his side "And Officer Wallace, he'll probably be asking your daughter most of the questions."

The three men stepped into the house, Officer Lumley ducking under the doorway followed by Officer Wallace, a shorter, more slender man with a clipboard tucked under one arm.

Lieutenant Brian looked around the living room and his eyes rested on the teen girl curled up in an armchair. She stared off into space and her face was tear streaked and pale. Her arms were wrapped protectively around her shoulders, and she rocked gently back and forth.

Phyllis Val Pels touched her arm

"Honey." she said gently "These men are from the police department, they're going to be asking you a lot of questions, so you should try to remember as much as you can, ok?"

"Can you find Morgan?" was Anne's only response.

"We can try." Lieutenant Brian answered carefully. "Officer Wallace is our sketch artist. You can tell him what this man looked like, and it would be a big help if we had a picture of your brother's abductor."

Officer Wallace smiled and sat near, but too near for the frightened girl. Flipping open his pad he waited, pencil poised for Anne to begin. She unfolded herself a little and said, "I don't think you understand this wasn't any normal guy. He was…different."

"What do you mean?" Morrison asked. He sat and Lumley stood behind him, "Do you mean he was of a different ethnic background?"

"No." she shook her head decidedly. "He wasn't anything…he was like a non-person."

"Anne, can you tell me exactly what that means?" Officer Wallace asked quietly. "Was he black, white? Mexican?"

"He had a white face, really pale, like a vampires. It was weird you know, I only saw him for a second, but I remember his face like I knew him all my life."

"Tell me about his face Anne, did he have a big nose or thick eyebrows? That kind of thing." Wallace encouraged.

Anne shuddered again and Phyllis sat down beside her and wrapped her arms around her daughter, "Go on sweetheart."

"Red eyes."

Officer Wallace shook his head in confusion

"You mean…" he began

"Just that. He had red eyes, bright red."

All the men leant forward at this interesting point. "What do you mean Anne, were they blood shot? Like he was drunk or something like that?" Wallace asked next.

"No." she answered, "His eyes, the iris was red, like your eyes" she pointed at Wallace "are blue. His were red.

"Might have been contacts." Lieutenant Brian offered "People can get those easily enough."

"No! They were red, naturally." Anne stated with a frown at Morrison. "I know what I saw!"

"It's all right Anne, please go on. Tell me about his mouth and nose." Wallace said, his softly accented voice helping the girl calm down.

All afternoon the officer worked on a portrait of the man who had kidnapped Morgan Van Pels. He worked quickly and his pen flew over the paper creating a perfect face.

Lieutenant Morrison had taken Mrs. Van Pels into another room to get further information on the missing man.

"Tell me about your son ma'am. What kind of young man was he?" Morrison clicked his pen open

"Morgan was always a good boy." she began, "I've never had any trouble from him."

"What kind of thing was he involved in?" Lieutenant Morrison asked next. "What were his interests?"

"What has that got to do with it?" Phyllis asked.

"Ma'am, often a kidnapper will try and make some kind of contact with their target before moving ahead. He would have at least followed him home to be able to now his name and your daughter."

Phyllis glanced around the dining room nervously as if she expected red-eyed men to sprang from the walls. "Well, he was finishing off his college work and seriously considering the church for his profession."

"Church? What kind exactly?" the officer's writing sprawled across the page as he took notes.

"We're Catholic. Morgan was thinking of becoming a priest." she laughed "I told him I would rather have grandkids but he said he felt like God was calling him into service. Not much I could say against that."

"I guess not. Did he have many friends?"

"Oh yes, Morgan was a very popular boy at school and college. But he was careful, he never hung around with the rowdier types" Mrs. Van Pels tapped her right first finger against the table to emphasize her point.

"Could you possibly make a list of his closest friends names and addresses? One of them might have some information that would be helpful." The Lieutenant snapped his notebook shut.

"I can, but officer, we're not dealing with the norm here. That man vanished like Houdini from the house. I'm sure he wasn't there when I came home, and I know that you haven't found evidence of a break in.'

Morrison sighed, "That's true, but you have to understand the difficulty of our position ma'am."

"Yes, I suppose you don't deal in disappearing criminals everyday." she gave a few dry chuckles. "Listen lieutenant, I want protection. I won't be able to sleep if that…person can just get in and out of the house with impunity."

"I understand ma'am. I'll see what I can do about that." he stood and together they walked into the living room where both Wallace and Anne were staring at the sketchpad.

"Any progress?" Morrison asked. For some reason his voice sounded too loud for the room. Wallace looked up and his blue eyes were wide and serious.

"Yes." He handed the pad to Morrison and Mrs. Van Pels looked over his shoulder to glance the portrait.

A thin faced man looked back at them, his handsome features smiling. But the smile held a hint of a mocking sneer, as if he were laughing at some particularly private and very cruel joke. Dominating the portrait however, were the eyes that glowed a deep, malicious red.

"My God!' Mrs. Van Pels gasped, "It's him!"

Morrison swallowed and covered the face, "Anne, is this the man you saw?"

"Yes, that's him exactly." she buried her face in her hands and began to cry again. "Please find my brother! Please, don't let him hurt Morgan!"


	3. Life Goes On And Ends

**Celme**Sauron in a suit is different, but then I think he would be a stylish person if he was a human. If anything he would do it to disguise himself as good. People always want to be friends with the 'in' group. Keep reading!

**Elvin BlueEyes**Thanks for joining in on this story too! Keep reading!

**curious one : **Love the name! That is sooper kewl! But no, Morgan isn't a Mary worshiping catholic, they aren't all you know. But please keep reading, our stories are never anything less then perfect.

**Winkle : **That was humble.

**Snodgrass : **I wasn't trying to be humble Winkle. Honestly people don't know how to take a joke.

**FallenTruth**We love our fans, old and new! We want every story we do to be as kewl as we can make it. As for talent…it's natural, but also carefully honed to be as sharp as…a very sharp object! Keep reading luv!

**AraelMoonchild**Of course he's original! We would settle for nothing else. If I see him portrayed as a dark haired elf one more time I think I'll jump from a very high building! Keep reading!

**Annamariah**Why on earth would Sauron give him a ring of power? I really can't see why he would do that. Why do you ponder out loud? Good question!

**Winkle : **That was hateful!"

**Snodgrass : **Oh shut up!

**Luthien and Tari Oronar** : Yes! I hate looking from a notebook to the screen and from the screen to the notebook! It stinks! But please, we like the Boromir story! And as for this one, we'll work on it as long as "Welcome to Rivendell' doesn't get in the way. I'm glad you like Morgan he's going to be around! Keep reading!

**Zarz**You want him back soon? That would make the story so dull. But I'm glad you like it that the character…I mean, real person is a christen. It makes sense that a Tolkien fan would be catholic right? And if Morgan had hung around that long he would have been really old! We always love compliments so please, let us know when we are deserving of them. Please keep reading!

**Erasuithiel Under A Rock : **This is after the defeat by Luthien, but he has the ring of power so he can do whatever he wants. At least that's how we're writing the story. And no Morgoth isn't around anymore. (bad Morgoth! Into the void with you!) Okay, you can come out now!

**chelseypudge**Thanks for reviewing. We want to keep the love going from story to story. They won't all be connected but for now these two are. Or will be. Keep reading!

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**Chapter Three**

**And Life Goes On and Ends**

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_The scene was cozy and regular, the candles from the Mass still burned and a few people still milled in the foyer, talking in hushed voices. Sixteen year old Morgan sat talking with the Father._

_Father John was old and gray haired. He rocked slightly in his special chair. He often commented that heaven had better have rocking chairs or he was staying on earth. Right now he was deep in conversation with the young man beside him._

"_Sometimes I don't understand what to tell people, Father. I was talking to a woman the other day and she said that if there was a God, that he wouldn't allow all the evil in the world." Morgan held up his hands helplessly. "I never know what to say to that."_

"_Morgan, remember that God doesn't allow evil in the world. He allows choice. It all began in the garden of Eden, he gave man the world on a silver platter. But because he loved his creation he gave man the choice." Father John sat back and rocked his chair back and forth a few times._

"_What would be the point of free will if God allowed only the choice of goodness? God did everything he could to point Adam and Eve in the right direction, but in the end the choice was theirs."_

"_Even though he knew they might turn away from him. Even though he might lose them?" Morgan shook his head. "I don't...I can't understand that."_

"_God was prepared Morgan, he knew them so well that he had a salvation plan before he even brought them into being. He hoped he never had to use it, but like I said, he knew them." Father John said._

"_Remember Morgan, evil isn't by God's doing. Men are evil because they chose to follow their own desires instead of God's. They can be holy just as easily by following the will of God. It comes down to that basic choice."_

"_So evil only gets the chance to work when we chose it?" Morgan asked._

"_Exactly, the question now is which path you're going to follow." Father John smiled._

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Morgan jerked up with a start, something had woken him. He looked around the clearing he had fallen asleep in, it was empty. The cold of a late autumn night had settled over everything and as he breathed, Morgan could see little puffs of fog. As he tried to clear his thoughts he heard it again.

A scream. Somewhere near, a woman was screaming.

The first thought that ran through his mind was that it was Anne, but the voice wasn't familiar. It was older, like one of the women from colleges was yelling to someone across campus. But then again no woman screamed like that unless something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Morgan stood and listened a moment to gage where the sound was coming from, and the relative direction. Then he headed off into the woods, twigs and branches whipping at his face.

_Morgan, you always wanted adventure. _He thought warily. But there was nothing exciting about this, just a deep feeling of fear. He looked around trying to locate the sound again but the fog closed in around him. The trees were only dark looming shadows that seemed to threaten every movement.

"_Dear God, please help me find her." _he prayed silently. Cupping his hands around his mouth he shouted.

"**Where are you!"**

The cries were renewed but another note rang in them this time. Hope. The sounds were coming from his left, and Morgan drove after them like chasing a cloud. Suddenly and sharply he burst into a clearing like the one he'd left, and eerily the fog was hemmed back, by something other then nature.

And certainly the creatures enclosed where not of nature. Twisted and black, they hunched over in hideous malformation, their eyes glowing yellow in the gloom of the predawn light. But Morgan's eyes fastened on the form them beat relentlessly, the woman screamed mindlessly.

Without considering what the consequences of his actions Morgan ran forward yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Go on! Get out of here! Aaaahhhhhhh!" he hit them in a flying tackle that would have made the football Couch proud. The impact was violent and the three went rolling away from the woman's body. It was two against one, but Morgan was much taller and heavier then either of the two orcs. Morgan pulled one up and punched it's fleshy face twice before the second one grabbed for his neck.

For a few moments the struggle was all Morgan's, but a well placed gut punch sent the orc wheezing away. While Morgan wrestled the other to the ground the first orc felt around for and found a stout branch. Straddling the orc Morgan landed hit after hit, hardly considering the other until a blinding blow sent him reeling and to the ground. As the orcs became to triumph over their prey, the sun's rays appeared over the horizon white and hot. But the orcs pay no heed, under cover of the thick forest they had plenty of time to drag their victims away to a safe, dark place.

In one accord the trees lifted their leaves and bent making room from the light as it streamed past the blue mountains.

At first strike, blindness.

Second strike, the skin bubbles and burns.

Third strike, the body ignites.

Fourth strike, death.

As the bodies crumbled and turned to ash, a tall black clad man appeared from behind one of the trees. As he comes into view his waves a hand and the trees return to their original positions. Darkness falls again as the sun climbs slowly higher into the sky. The woman lies groaning softly, but she cannot move.

But Sauron pays no attention to her, he focus is the young man. Blood seeps from a gash on his forehead and all around it a purple bruise begins to rise.

"But still alive I see." he muses quietly. He straightens up and smiles to himself, "Remarkable."

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"Wallace?" patiently.

"Um?" absently.

"Hello?" annoyed.

"What?" surprised.

"We need you in the briefing room please." Morrison said.

"Oh, all right, just let me grab my pad." Wallace jumped up and they proceeded down the hall.

Lieutenant Morrison looked at the younger man and for the millionth time thought of what a contradiction that term was. Wallace was most certainly younger then Brian Morrison, he couldn't have been more then thirty. But still, there was something about the other man's eyes that just didn't fit the rest of the mold.

But whenever anyone asked Wallace about himself all they got were carefully ambiguous answers. No one knew anything about him other then the fact that he was new to the area, he was a great artist on many levels and that he was married. But then again, no one had ever met his wife. Unlike the other officers, Mr. and Mrs. Wallace kept a little more to themselves.

In person Wallace was free and easy to get along with, quite a talker and smart as a whip. But in the personal history area, very shady and standoffish. They arrived at the briefing room, and so further contemplation of his fellow officer was forgotten as they faced the DA. Alexander Senge was an unpleasant man in good circumstances and now was not a good circumstance.

He drummed his skinny fingers on the table and looked decided bilious. "Well," he snapped, "What have you got on the Van Pels case? It better be good, there's a lot of press on this one."

"We have all the initial data in and so far all we know is…nothing." Morrison said. He slid the file over the table. Senge opened it and glanced at the first page.

"Why don't you just give me the skinny, okay?" he demanded. Officer Lumley stifled a laugh with a loud cough and received a sharp glance from Senge.

"It's like this, we have no evidence of the normal kind. Not a print, not a hair. Nothing. All we have to go on is the absence of this kid and the mother and daughter's testimony of his kidnapping." Brian explained, wincing at the thread bareness of the case.

"I thought we had an ID on this guy." Senge went on. "I saw the pictures up all over the news, scared the crap out of me."

"No calls in. Dead air." Morrison replied.

"And that's another thing that's odd." Wallace broke in. "Usually we get a lot of false alarms. You know people say they saw the suspect with their second cousin once removed whom they know was a drug dealer. We haven't even had that."

Alexander drummed his fingers again, "Then what do we have?"

"The only lead, and I mean _only_ lead is the possible link to an internet site." Morrison said. Senge's eyes fairly bulged as he listened as Morrison told him Anne's story of finding the site, and the events immediately following.

When he was finished Senge took a long breath and hissed it back out between his teeth. "Do you understand the implications of what you're saying?" he asked.

"Yes. A world wide shut down of any related sites and full investigation of those existing." Brian answered. He rolled his pen along the table.

"I'm telling you right now that's not going to happen!" Senge snapped. "I am not going out there and announcing such an…" he filled in with a few ill chosen words. Wallace winced slightly and turned away. Lumley looked bored and Morrison, used to the abuse, listened calmly.

"..and you sure as…better come up with something more substantial then this." and he slid the file back across the desk with a snap. Brian caught it just before it went off the table. Senge stood , smoothed his suit and went out.

"You watch it Morrison, if this goes bust, I'm taking you down!" and the weaselly little man left.

"That was unpleasant." Wallace said finally. It was such an understatement that both of the other men burst out laughing.

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"Oh, someone just give me an aspirin!" Morgan groaned. He reached up a hand and touched his head. "Oh! Blood! That's great, just what I needed." He rolled over and waited for the world to stop spinning before trying to sit up. As he did, his St. Francis necklace fell out of his shirt.

Morgan focused on the tiny engraving of the saint and smiled grimly. "I have the feeling that if you were here that you would be saying something about how wonderful it was that you weren't beheaded." He sat up, "So…thank you God that I have a head to ache."

His eyes fell on the woman. She lay still, very, very still. Crawling over as quickly as he could Morgan reached out a hand to touch her.

"She's dead, if that's what you're wondering."

"You have the world's worst timing, did you know that?" Morgan said. He saw that she was indeed dead, silently he crossed himself and prayed briefly. Then he closed her eyes and covered her face with his jacket. "Did you do that?" he asked quietly, and pointed to the dead woman.

Sauron looked surprised. "I? Kill her? Why would I bother? She's human." he said this as if it would explain all the problems in the world.

"I think you know what I mean." Morgan continued, his eyes fell on the crumbled piles of orc remains. "Her shirt says, 'I Love New York' not from your time."

Sauron clapped his hands slowly and mockingly, "What a Sherlock Holmes! Yes, she's not from 'my' time as you so childishly put it. You forget that.."

"..you don't have time and it means nothing to you. Yeah, I have it. What about her?" Morgan gestured to the woman.

"She was my last experiment." Sauron said. His eyes gleamed red and he continued. "She lasted longer then any of the previous humans. She lived here for exactly a month, only to meet such a tragic end."

Sauron suddenly found himself slammed into a tree and then Morgan's fist struck his jaw with a resounding crack. Pain exploded in Sauron's head and stars danced across his vision as another well aimed punch hit his nose. Then the hands holding the dark lord in place disappeared and he fell to the ground, blood pouring from his nose.

Morgan, furious and breathing hard, backed away. Sauron touched his hand to his face and felt his jaw and saw the blood staining his hand. "You hit me." he said.

"And I'll do it again if you want." Morgan said.

Sauron continued to stare at his hand, but this time his eyes focused on the finger that gleamed even through the crimson fluid that covered it. "You hit me." he repeated. And his eyes began to glow hot and white. "How could you hit me?"

Morgan froze in his place and realized that Sauron had lost his self assured attitude, if for a moment only. The dark haired man stood and he seemed to grow taller and his voice deepened, "How did you reach past it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Morgan said, somewhat uncertainly.

"Tell me!" Sauron demanded, his tone childish and almost pleading. His eyes bored into Morgan's with undisguised fury. Pain surged through Morgan's body, forcing him to his knees again. Finally, he croaked out, "I…I don't know…"

Immediately the pain stopped and Sauron's hands pulled him from the ground. His hold wasn't painful but dangerously contained, as if he could break Morgan in two. He set the young man down and backed away with a laugh.

"I'm…sorry. I sometimes don't know my own strength." he leered. "But if you ever do that again I will kill you and your family."

"I didn't do anything you shouldn't have thought of." Morgan choked. "You deserved it."

Sauron looked at Morgan and then his eyes dropped to the body of the woman. "I suppose that you would think so. I was going to return her home but you didn't let me get to that."

He waved a hand and the body disappeared slowly, fading away leaving Morgan's jacket on the ground.

"Where did she go?" Morgan couldn't help asking.

"I sent her back home. She'll be found and her family will mourn her. but that's how it always ends with them. I had thought she would have lasted longer, but she also should have know better then go roaming around after dark. Orcs only come out then. Sauron frowned and rubbed his bottom lip thoughtfully, "I'll have to change that someday."

"God, you're twisted." Morgan picked up his jacket.

"Yes…yes, I am. Isn't it great!" Sauron smiled. "But remember Morgan you're next. That girl was merely an easy target. Already you have shown yourself much more then a mere target. The next step of my plan is to break you down more and more."

"What is this?" Morgan scoffed, "The twelve step plan to thralldom? Forget it, I am already taken."

"Serve the Valar do you? Good luck, they won't do a thing for you." Sauron said. He turned away before Morgan could say anything. He seemed to dissipate into the air around him leaving only a dark, defiled feeling behind him.

"What's a Valar?" Morgan called. But the empty forest mocked him with silence.

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For a few moments, Celebrimbor held the Three in his hand. The white adamant of Vanya shone like icy stars from the delicate entwining of the mithril band. Yes, he had been the creator of this Ring. Yet it had been the soul of another, so proud and beautiful, that had inspired the maker.

Nenya gleamed beside it, the rich sapphire set in the smooth golden band. With it's two companions, the deep blue glowed deeper, the power grew stronger.

Narya's scarlet brilliance contrasted very much from the others. The fiery heart of the ruby was overwhelming to gaze upon: yet the same fire was reflected in the dark eyes of it's maker.

Then, with a swift, almost careless movement, Celebrimbor let the Rings fall into the small, rough leather bag he held in his other hand. The strong, supple fingers knotted it shut securely, and the forger turned the elf standing beside him.

"Alagos." Celebrimbor's voice was somewhat terse "You understand what you are to be carrying."

The tall captain of the Haven's guard nodded slightly.

"Yes, my lord." he answered quietly.

"No chances must be taken." the dark eyes bored into the other's "None."

"They shall not."

"Give them into no other hands but the King's." He said this last word with a faint, yet resigned bitterness.

Again Alagos nodded, the true weight of his mission growing every moment.

"Go."

For an instant, Alagos looked startled "No other instructions?" he ventured.

Celebrimbor glanced away, then back to the captain. A strange sort of pain passed over his face, and he said, harshly

"Go, now."


End file.
